An easy meal that my whole family loves!

My husband grew up loving Salmon Patties, I had NEVER had them! Early in our marriage, I asked his mom for the recipe. For a while, I followed it to the letter, but over time I have really changed it up to make it my own. The nice part about Salmon Patties is that they are cheap to make and they use pantry items that I keep on hand.

When making Salmon Patties, you can use the super cheap canned salmon that has bones and skin. That's what my mother-in-law uses, but I am a little freaked out by what it looks like....so I buy boneless/skinless. It comes in a can like Tuna or a foil packet. The cans go on sale at Walgreens every couple of weeks.

In a large bowl, mix 3 cans of salmon (drained), 2 eggs, 1 TBS of Lemon Juice (reserve half the lemon for wedges to serve with dinner), approx 35 Saltines (crushed very fine), salt, pepper, 1 tsp of your favorite seafood seasoning and 1-2 TBS of milk....depending on how dry your mixture is.  You want it to hold together nicely...adjust by adding more milk or a few extra saltines.

Form into thin patties and place on waxed paper.

My mother-in-law fries hers....I use my non-stick skillet and just brush the pan with a little vegetable oil. I work in batches placing each finished set in a 200 degree oven to hold. This recipe makes 8 large patties- enough for 3-4 servings.

I always serve mine with lemon wedges, wild rice and a cooked veggie- but we went for raw veggies and dip this time :) Even my two-year old devours these!

NOTE: I have also made this using leftover Fresh Cooked Salmon...I chill my leftover Salmon overnight. This really puts them over the top :)

October 29th- the day my love proposed :)

Friday was the 6-year anniversary of the day my husband proposed :) I decided I was going to make him a special dinner to celebrate...and then we ordered pizza! I did make him the dinner I had planned on Saturday, trying 2 new recipes!

The first was Mexican Pesto served on top of seared Tuna steaks. To go with the Tuna, I made a Hominy and Cheese Casserole, and a side of roasted radishes. It was delicious!!

To make the pesto you need: pumpkin seeds, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, a serrano chili and either Cotija or Parmesan Cheese.

I grate my garlic into the food processor so you don't bite into a chunk of raw garlic. Add all ingredients and blend until smooth. I only used about 3 TBS of olive oil instead of the 6 called for in the recipe.

The finished pesto- refrigerate until ready to serve. Any unused portion also freezes well!

On to the hominy! I had never had hominy before until I started exploring different cuisines. My husband really likes hominy, so I thought this was worth a try. The recipe calls for low-fat cream cheese and cheddar, but this is what I had on hand.

Cook the onion and garlic until soft. Then, add the green chilies.

Stir in the cream cheese until melted. I only made half the recipe because I wasn't sure we would like it.

Finally, add the hominy and mix well.

I opted to put the cheddar on top instead of mixing it in. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

 

While that baked, I did a quick sear on my tuna. I seasoned simply with salt and pepper so the flavor of the pesto would be the star.

The finished dish...all delicious and going into my regular rotation!!

I love a perfect summer supper!

After a wonderful trip to Cedar Falls this weekend, I had some gorgeous broccoli to use for dinner! Tonight's menu: Salmon Piccata, Rosemary Garlic Couscous, and Roasted Broccoli.
I cooked it the way we love best...roasted with garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil and a little salt. Roast at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

One of our favorite side dishes is couscous!

Tonight, I started by slowly infusing 1 TBS of olive oil with a few cloves of crushed garlic.

I added 1/2 TBS of fresh chopped Rosemary and 1 1/2 cups of homemade chicken stock. Bring to a boil, remove garlic cloves and add 1 cup of couscous. Stir, remove from heat, and cover.

After 5 minutes, fluff couscous with a fork.

Season two salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Seer in olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Throw in a 400 degree oven with the broccoli while you make the sauce.
For the sauce you need :
1 tsp Flour
3 TBS Lemon Juice
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS White Wine (You could sub chicken or seafood stock)
1/2 TBS of Capers (drained)
3 TBS of cold Butter
1 TBS fresh chopped Parsley

Add the flour to whatever olive oil remains in the pan from cooking the fish.

Add the lemon juice and wine over medium heat.

After the wine and lemon juice start to bubble, add capers and parsley. Remove from heat. Slowly melt in butter one Tablespoon at a time until the sauce is thick and creamy.
Serve by spooning the sauce over the fish and couscous. This is lemony and light with the perfect kiss of summer freshness!

Cedar Planks are a grill tool to love!

My parents gave us a great "foodie" basket for Christmas. One of the things it contained was a pack of Grilling Planks. I love to grill...and we love Salmon, so naturally, my first attempt was at Cedar Plank Salmon.

First, you have to soak the planks so the wood doesn't burn when heated. Soak each plank for a minimum of four hours, or overnight. I had to weigh mine down so it was fully submerged.


Then, you need to prepare the fish. Begin by scoring the skin, so the the fish doesn't curl as it cooks.


Then, add desired seasonings. I use lemon pepper, dill, garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper...as well as a generous drizzle of olive oil.


I also love the hint of citrus in my fish, so I covered my salmon with thin slices of lemon.


Prepare your charcoal or gas grill. As soon as the coals turn gray, or your gas grill hits a nice medium/high heat, place the cedar plank on to warm. When the cedar plank begins to smoke, it's time to add the fish!


Place the salmon on the cedar plank and replace the lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through, and flakes easily with a fork.


Remove fish, and serve with fresh lemon wedges. The smokey flavor from the cedar planks was amazing. Simple- but unexpectedly delicious!

Finding a new way to love Salmon!

When I make Salmon, I always make it the same way. I coat it with olive oil, a few seasonings and top with lemon slices. I bake it at a high temp and serve with additional lemon. I feel most of my blogs have been about my own recipes, so I decided to try a few new options. They were great!!!First I prepared the marinade for Soy Ginger Salmon. It contains soy sauce, olive oil, lemon pepper, garlic (I used fresh), ginger, brown sugar and orange juice. I did not rub my salmon as the recipe states...I just threw it all in the marinade :) Combine and pour over salmon. Place in the refrigerator until it is time to cook...at least 2 hours.

Then I prepared the sauce for the Sesame Noodles. It combines soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili sauce, oil (I used vegetable), garlic, white sugar, green onions and sesame oil (I used half the sugar and half the oil the recipe called for).


I do not add the sesame oil to the sauce to cook, but rather at the end after tossing the cooked linguine with the sauce. I think the flavor is stronger than if you cook it!
I also chopped up one bunch of broccoli with 4 cloves of sliced garlic, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, a little kosher salt and 2 TBS of olive oil to roast in the oven.

I roasted the broccoli and salmon at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. The broccoli gets crispy on the edges and the salmon was cooked through, but very moist!
As the linguine was cooking, I added the noodle sauce to a skillet to heat through. I tossed with the cooked pasta and the 2 TBS of sesame oil.
The completed meal was amazing! The salmon was a great change for us...very moist! The broccoli is always a favorite and the cold leftovers of the sesame noodles might be even tastier than they were while warm with dinner!! A successful combination :)